Yelli Blog

Welcome to the Yelli blog! Here you'll find articles about restaurant industry culture, trends, and insights, plus helpful resources for your team. Sign up for our newsletter to get fresh articles delivered to you weekly.

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multiple glasses of draft beer on bar

Server Tips: How to Pour The Perfect Draft Beer

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Danielle Casilio

A step-by-step-guide on how to pour the perfect draft beer.

graphic with software screenshots food menu and menu test

How-to-Yelli: Menu Tests

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Danielle Casilio

How to build, issue and grade autogenerated menu tests in your Yelli account.

waitress carrying three plates

Top Reasons Why Restaurant Workers Quit (and How to Retain Them)

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Danielle Casilio

Top 5 reasons why restaurant workers quit, and tips on how to retain the best talent for your team.

restaurant staff team in meeting smiling happy

Managing a Multilingual Restaurant Team: Strategies for Success

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Danielle Casilio

10 strategies for managing multilingual restaurant workers in full service restaurants to ensure clear communication and consistent service.

woman working in kitchen making pizza with other kitchen workers in background

Top 3 Benefits of Improved Training for Restaurant Staff

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Danielle Casilio

Increased sales, elevated guest experience, and a boost in team morale.

Screenshot of Yelli Training Material Library

How-To-Yelli: Using the Training Material Library

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Danielle Casilio

Our Training Library is an easy tool to help get your account set up quickly.

Restaurant chefs and workers talking and laughing

Restaurant Lingo: 10 Most Commonly Used Terms

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Danielle Casilio

A guide to the 10 most commonly used restaurant terms.

restaurant kitchen expo line

Navigating the Divide: Front of House vs. Back of House in Restaurants

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Danielle Casilio

Why effective communication and collaboration between FOH and BOH is essential.

restaurant table setting with wine glass

Server Tips: Table Setting and Clearing

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Danielle Casilio

Table setting, course setting, pre-bussing and clearing are all important factors that influence guests' experience and help you to be more efficient during service.

bartender pouring cocktail into coupe glass behind bar

What to Consider When Choosing Glassware for Your Bar

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Glassware plays a huge role in your bar for practical, aesthetic, and experiential reasons. Use this in-depth guide to choose the right glasses.

restaurant staff using computer training software smiling and happy

Top 3 Benefits of Implementing a Digital Training Platform in Your Restaurant

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Danielle Casilio

While there are many benefits to using training software, these are the top 3 most common that our clients experience.

Yelli graphic for how-to series

How-To-Yelli: Getting Started

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Danielle Casilio

How to set up Yelli for your restaurant in 6 simple steps.

waiter placing plate in front of smiling people at restaurant table

6 Strategies for Building a Strong Relationship with Regulars

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Having regulars gives every restaurant an advantage.

organized clean restaurant service station

3 Tips for Keeping Service Stations Organized

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Danielle Casilio

The service stations are crucial for your team's success.

waitress counting cash tip

Server Tips: Working in a Pooled House

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Danielle Casilio

How to make the most of working in a tip-pool system

kitchen manager or chef meeting with restaurant manager

Manager Huddle: Why It’s Important to Get (And Keep) Your Management Team On The Same Page

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Danielle Casilio

We’re taking a step back and making sure that the root of where decisions are coming from (your management team) is organized and aligned.

yelli training app screenshots

How-To-Yelli: Creating Training Schedules

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Danielle Casilio

How to build custom training schedules for new hires in 3 easy steps.

waitress clearing table of empty glasses

Server Tips: The Importance of Pre-Bussing

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Danielle Casilio

Understanding what pre-bussing is, how to do it correctly, and how it can make or break service for both the guests and your team.

happy motivated cafe employee helping restaurant customer

3 Ways To Keep Your Team (and Yourself) Motivated

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Danielle Casilio

Use these tips to keep yourself and your team motivated, uplifted, and ready to perform!

waitress taking guests order and talking about menu

Server Tips: Mastering Menu Knowledge

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Danielle Casilio

Help yourself and the rest of your team to make more money, reduce stress, and improve the guest experience by really mastering the menu.

restaurant manager smiling using tablet in restaurant

Keeping Your Training Material Updated

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Danielle Casilio

Once you’ve taken the steps to create a solid training program, you’ll need to be able to easily keep it up to date.

waitress smiling with drink tray

Server Tips: How To Anticipate Guest Needs, Keeping You Out Of The Weeds

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Danielle Casilio

It took me a long time to learn how to anticipate guest needs, but once I did, serving became easier and I was able to relax and trust my instincts.

graphics with software screenshots menu flashcards

How-To-Yelli: Building Menus

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Danielle Casilio

How to build food menu flashcards and keep them updated in real time.

restaurant manager high five with bartender

Creating Culture: Tips for Hiring The Best Restaurant Team

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Danielle Casilio

4 Tips to help improve your hiring process, create a great workplace culture, and build a team of rockstars.

yelli training app screenshots

How-To-Yelli: Roster and Team Onboarding

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Danielle Casilio

How to navigate the roster and onboard new team members to your Yelli account.

restaurant worker on laptop smiling

Writing Manuals and Procedures For Restaurant Teams Without Templates

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Danielle Casilio

How to write effective manuals and procedures for your team, and why templates can be more counterproductive than helpful.‍

waitress smiling holding laptop computer

Technology In Restaurants: Paper to Digital and The Learning Curve Managers Face

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Danielle Casilio

Why restaurant teams are adopting technology, how to gain knowledge about the technologies available, and the learning curve that restaurant managers face when implementing new systems.

young waitress carrying tray smiling

For The Newbies: Best Practices When Training Green Restaurant Employees

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Danielle Casilio

Training someone to work in a restaurant even if they never have before doesn’t have to be difficult, but it’s helpful to keep a few things in mind when doing so.

waitress taking order taking test

4 Key Elements That Your Testing Program Should Focus On

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Danielle Casilio

Managers who thoroughly test their new hires are really doing them a favor, ultimately keeping them from falling behind in service.

restaurant table layout

3 Ways To Improve Table and Seat Number Systems

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Danielle Casilio

Let’s take a look at 3 ways to improve the table and seat number system in your restaurant, along with the most common mistakes most restaurants make in this area.

couple at restaurant smiling

Server Tips: 3 Tips To Help You Crush It On Valentines Day

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Danielle Casilio

For all of us working in the restaurant industry, this is one of our busiest days of the year. Here's how to crush it.

two students taking quiz with pencil and eraser

Top 3 Most Common Mistakes Restaurant Managers Make When Testing Employees

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Danielle Casilio

Building a test and quiz program for your restaurant is important if you want to be able to effectively train new employees and gauge their product knowledge and performance levels.

workers in cafe smiling

Building An Effective Training Program For New Restaurant Employees

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Danielle Casilio

How to outline an effective training program, keep it up to date, and how to execute it consistently.

upset customer in restaurant screaming at waiter

Server Tips: 3 Best Practices for Dealing With Difficult Customers

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Danielle Casilio

Dealing with difficult customers is just something that you have to accept will happen, so why not be prepared for it when it does?

old fashioned bartender squeezing orange peel

Best Practices For Training Your Team On Bar Knowledge

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Danielle Casilio

Tips for getting your bar program organized, training employees, and increasing drink sales.

restaurant worker talking on phone using technology

How Guest Experience Improves When Restaurant Managers Communicate Expectations Clearly With Their Team

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Danielle Casilio

Improve your guests overall experience, reduce staff errors that cost you money, and enjoy a more positive workplace culture by making communication a priority for your venue.

restaurant workers on computer organized

Why Traditional Training Methods Don’t Work For Restaurant Teams

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Danielle Casilio

Staying organized and simplifying information should be the basis of good restaurant training.

clean kitchen in restaurant organized

Organization: The Key To Restaurant Success That Most Overlook

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Danielle Casilio

Managers and team leaders can often overlook disorganization in the workplace once it becomes a challenge that no one seems willing to work with them on

red wine being poured into wine glass

Server Tips: A Beginners Guide To Perfect Wine Service

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Danielle Casilio

A beginners guide to perfect wine service

waiter in mask closing restaurant upset

3 Red Flags That Make Restaurant Workers Leave A New Job

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Danielle Casilio

To make sure you attract (and keep!) the best of the best, get organized, improve your communication, and elevate your culture.

training development binder on desk

Ditch the Paper Handouts: How Restaurants Should Be Modernizing Their Staff Training

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Danielle Casilio

Let’s talk about how to get rid of paper packets and how to modernize staff training in your restaurant.

customer reading menu at bar with bartender

Menu Matrix: Why Every Restaurant Needs One + Free Template Download!

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Danielle Casilio

Have you developed a detailed menu matrix for your team?

server showing menu to guest in restaurant

Server Tips: 3 Best Practices for Upselling in Food and Beverage

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Danielle Casilio

Upselling as a server or bartender is a great way to boost check averages, build rapport with guests, and grow within your restaurant.

waiter tying apron around waist

Server Tips: 5 Items To Always Keep in Your Apron

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Danielle Casilio

Smooth and seamless service is our goal, and these tools are the only way we get there.

cash tip on table

The Pros and Cons of Tip-Pooling: From A Server’s Perspective

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Danielle Casilio

Pros and cons of a tip-pool structure from the perspective of a waitress.

waitress carrying waters and salad on tray

How Do I Do The Job? How To Write An Honest Job Description For Restaurant Workers: Part 4

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Danielle Casilio

In this fourth and final part of our job description series, we are going to go over how to outline specific job responsibilities for new hires.

sticky notes multi-color workplace culture

What is Your Workplace Culture? How To Write An Honest Job Description For Restaurant Workers: Part 3

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Danielle Casilio

What is workplace culture and why is it important in your hiring process?

female bartender pouring martini in glass smiling

What Does It Feel Like? How To Write An Honest Job Description For Restaurant Workers: Part 2

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Danielle Casilio

Tell a story...Once I clock in and my shift begins, what does that 6-8 hours look and feel like?

writing job descriptions

How To Write An Honest Job Description For Restaurant Workers: Part 1

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Danielle Casilio

In today’s restaurant industry, managers need every edge they can get to hire good staff and keep them.

restaurant worker bartender server looking at laptop smiling

5 Reasons to Use Technology In Your Restaurant

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Danielle Casilio

The top 5 reasons that restaurant owners and operators should implement technology to make their venues more organized and efficient.

restaurant manager helping staff member

“I Don’t Want To Work...For You” How Successful Restaurant Managers Are Navigating The Labor Crisis

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Danielle Casilio

Creating a positive workplace culture is no small feat. Especially in restaurants, and especially during a global pandemic.

woman barista holding two coffee cups confused

Server Tips: The Difference Between Comps and Voids

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Danielle Casilio

Defining these terms and making sure your team members understand them will help you reduce comps and voids, and improve the accuracy of your P&L reports.

hand selecting bad face option in row of good, ok, bad

3 Reasons To Fire Toxic Restaurant Workers

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Danielle Casilio

While keeping staff turnover low and guest satisfaction high, you need to be willing to let go of employees that don’t work out.

graphic image of people communicating with mixed up chat bubbles

Effective Leadership in Restaurants: How Changing Your Message Changes The Game

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Danielle Casilio

A good leader communicates in a way that makes people want to do what they say, but what does that look like?

restaurant kitchen worker apron black shirt

Uniform Guidelines: Why the Details Matter

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Danielle Casilio

Wrap it all up and make it look good, just like your staff!

restaurant team meeting pre-shift

Pros and Cons of Pre-Shift: Are Daily Meetings Necessary?

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Danielle Casilio

If a pre-shift meeting is part of your restaurant, this article will help you see if your pre-shifts are serving their purpose.

female line cook working in kitchen cooking steak

3 Steps To Make Your Restaurant More Productive

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Danielle Casilio

Cut out what isn’t working, what you don’t really need, and what complicates service for you and your team.

surprised man and happy woman looking at menu in restaurant

4 Ways To Write A Better Menu

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Danielle Casilio

The time and effort you put into creating a menu that works for everyone will pay off in the long run.

restaurant worker happy waitress taking order

Investing in Your Best Assets: How Training and Organization Improve the Employee Experience

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Danielle Casilio

The truth is that at the root of all good service is knowledge combined with an attentive team member.

start here restaurant sign cafe coffee shop

Simplify Your Restaurant: Why Your Team Will Thank You

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Danielle Casilio

Do our team members really have access to everything they need to perform at the level we want them to?

waitress with pink apron, pen and paper, hands

The Story of A Waitress: How it All Started

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Danielle Casilio

Welcome to the Yelli blog. Here's our story and how we got here.

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